The Japan TimesMar 13
Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai’s public trip to Japan for the World Baseball Classic signaled Tokyo and Taipei’s growing willingness to challenge Beijing’s pressure over contacts with Taiwan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/03/13/japan/japan-baseball-game-tests-china-taiwan-relations/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #chojungtai #taiwan #china #chinajapanrelations #taiwanjapanrelations #worldbaseballclassic #sports
How a baseball game in Japan is testing China on Taiwan

The real significance of this WBC match lies beyond the stadium. It’s a signal that Tokyo and Taipei are testing how much Beijing can practically control their engagement.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesMar 8
Taiwan’s premier visited Japan on Saturday for the island’s World Baseball Classic victory over the Czech Republic, a move expected to stoke China’s ire as Sino-Japanese ties remain in a deep freeze. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/07/japan/politics/taiwan-premier-japan-visit-wbc/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #taiwan #taiwanjapanrelations #china #chinajapanrelations #sanaetakaichi
Taiwan’s premier makes rare visit to Japan for WBC

The visit by Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai was the first known planned trip to Japan by a sitting premier from the island since the two sides severed diplomatic ties in 1972.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesMar 3
Weaving Taiwan into existing frameworks to create a stronger U.S.-led regional defense architecture is crucial to deterring China, the island’s top diplomat said, as Taipei looks to deepen security ties with Tokyo. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/04/asia-pacific/politics/taiwan-foreign-minister-lin-chia-lung-interview/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #taiwan #china #taiwanjapanrelations #us #usmilitary #pla #chinajapanrelations #indopacific #defense #sanaetakaichi
Taiwan’s FM calls for Taipei to be part of 'first island chain' security framework

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said working with partners in the strategic string of islands that stretch from Japan to Borneo is crucial to deterring China.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesDec 31
The latest deterioration of Japan-China ties has highlighted that a dangerous new equilibrium between the two countries is emerging — one that will test each other’s resolve, especially in the year ahead. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/31/japan/politics/japan-china-relations-2026-analysis/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #china #chinajapanrelations #usjapanrelations #xijinping #sanaetakaichi #taiwan #taiwanjapanrelations #donaldtrump #defense #sdf #pla
Dangerous new equilibrium awaits Japan-China ties in 2026

The deterioration of ties after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on a possible Japanese military intervention in a Taiwan crisis will test both Tokyo and Beijing’s resolve.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesDec 24
A wave of visits to Taiwan by Japanese lawmakers is underway, underscoring the close ties between Tokyo and Taipei and drawing a sharp response from Beijing. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/24/japan/politics/japan-lawmakers-visit-taiwan-china-anger/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #koichihagiuda #china #taiwan #chinajapanrelations #taiwanjapanrelations #sanaetakaichi #laichingte #ldp
Flurry of Japanese lawmaker visits to Taiwan sparks China’s anger

Visits by Japanese lawmakers to Taiwan are not unusual, but the current round comes at a time of heightened tensions between Japan and China.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesDec 23
Koichi Hagiuda, deputy secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Monday agreed to strengthen Japan-Taiwan relations. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/23/japan/politics/japan-ldp-exec-taiwan-president-meet/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #koichihagiuda #laichingte #taiwanjapanrelations #ldp #chinajapanrelations
LDP exec Hagiuda and Taiwanese President Lai agree to boost ties

Hagiuda told Lai that he hopes to continue deepening what he described as the best-ever relations between the two sides.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesDec 22
Lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party continue to visit Taiwan despite the current tensions between Japan and China. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/22/japan/politics/japan-ldp-lawmakers-taiwan-visit/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #taiwanjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations #ldp #koichihagiuda #sanaetakaichi
LDP lawmakers continue to visit Taiwan amid tensions with China

Meanwhile, it seems unlikely that a multiparty group of Japanese lawmakers for Japan-China friendship will be able to send a delegation to China by the end of this year.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesDec 13
Beijing wants the world to believe that unification with Taiwan represents the rightful and intended state of the postwar system. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/12/japan/china-guardian-of-postwar-order/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #china #taiwan #us #chinajapanrelations #taiwanjapanrelations #okinawa #ccp #defense
Is China guardian of the ‘postwar international order’?

China is advancing a revamped World War II narrative to justify its regional claims while portraying Japan as a threat to the postwar order.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesDec 11
China’s escalating backlash to Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks backfired by reinforcing Japan’s long-held position on Taiwan, strengthening ties among the self-governing island, Japan, the U.S. and First Island Chain partners. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/10/japan/chinas-takaichi-attack-backfires/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #china #taiwan #uschinajapanrelations #taiwanjapanrelations #treatyofsanfrancisco #chinesecommunistparty #onechinapolicy #usnationalsecuritystrategy #firstislandchain #okinawa
China’s heavy-handed attack on Takaichi is backfiring

Japan has never formally accepted that Taiwan is part of the PRC and Taiwan has never, for one day, been under the Communist Party's control.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesDec 11
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first female leader, is the “highest-ranked political newcomer” to the Forbes World’s Most Powerful Women ranking. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/11/japan/society/takaichi-forbes-powerful-woman-list/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #sanaetakaichi #women039sissues #chinajapanrelations #taiwanjapanrelations
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi makes top three in Forbes’ powerful women list

Takaichi's “power” is her understanding and implementation of policy, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Thursday.

The Japan Times